Mark Antony was a Roman general and the right hand of Julius Caesar, while his main rival was Octavian. The three of them were very important to Rome’s transition from republic to empire. In 40BC a civil war started between Mark Antony and Octavian, because Antony decided to marry Octavian’s sister. Despite this marriage, he had a love affair with Cleopatra further straining his relations with Octavian. In 30BC, he fled with Cleopatra to Egypt, and, after their defeat at the Battle of Alexandria, they committed suicide. Despite all the ups and downs, their relationship is one of the most famous love stories of all times, and has been an inspiration to many artists, such as Shakespeare.